Light field reconstruction

Abstract

A method of reconstructing an optical light field from a 3D animation model via a light field video using a light field display device.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of reconstructing an optical light field from a 3D animation model via a discrete light field video using a light field display device, the discrete light field video comprising a series of discrete light field frames, each discrete light field frame comprising a plurality of discrete spectral radiance samples, each discrete spectral radiance sample associated with a ray direction and a position on a light field boundary, the light field display device comprising a plurality of light field display elements, the method comprising:
 (a) specifying the light field boundary relative to the 3D animation model; and 
 (b) for each of a series of successive discrete times:
 (i) rendering, at the light field boundary and from the 3D animation model, a corresponding one of the discrete light field frames; and 
 (ii) for each display element, generating, for each of a plurality of the discrete spectral radiance samples associated with a position of the display element, a reconstruction beam, the reconstruction beam having an optical spectral radiance based on the discrete spectral radiance sample, a beam direction based on the ray direction associated with the discrete spectral radiance sample, and a beam focus based on a specified depth. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the specified depth is a scene depth associated with the discrete spectral radiance sample. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the specified depth is a sampling focus depth associated with the discrete spectral radiance sample. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein, for each display element, the specified depth is a fixation depth of a viewer of the light field display device relative to that display element. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4  further comprising estimating a fixation point of the viewer and thereby, for each display element, estimating the fixation depth of the viewer relative to the display element. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein, for each display element, the specified depth is a scene depth relative to that display element. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6  further comprising estimating, for each display element, a viewing direction of a viewer of the light field display device relative to the display element and thereby the scene depth relative to the display element in the viewing direction of the viewer.